Events in History Relating to Bridge
January 30, 1806
The original Lower Trenton Bridge (also called the Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge), which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey, is opened.
January 30, 1826
The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Wales, is opened.
January 31, 1846
After the Milwaukee Bridge War, Juneautown and Kilbourntown unified as the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
March 5, 1850
The Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales is opened.
January 23, 1855
The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, a crossing made today by the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge.
May 4, 1859
The Cornwall Railway opens across the Royal Albert Bridge linking the counties of Devon and Cornwall in England.
December 8, 1864
The Clifton Suspension Bridge over the River Avon is officially opened.
August 29, 1907
The Quebec Bridge collapses during construction, killing 75 workers.
March 30, 1909
The Queensboro Bridge opens, linking Manhattan and Queens.
December 3, 1917
After nearly 20 years of planning and construction, the Quebec Bridge opens to traffic.
June 6, 1921
The Southwark Bridge in London, is opened for traffic by King George V and Queen Mary.
June 29, 1928
The Outerbridge Crossing and Goethals Bridge in Staten Island, New York both opened.
October 1, 1931
The George Washington Bridge linking New Jersey and New York opens.
November 7, 1940
In Tacoma, Washington, the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapses in a windstorm, a mere four months after the bridge's completion.
November 1, 1957
The Mackinac Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge between anchorages at the time, opens to traffic connecting Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas.
May 30, 1959
The Auckland Harbour Bridge, crossing the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, is officially opened by Governor-General Lord Cobham.
November 21, 1964
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opens to traffic (at the time it is the world's longest suspension bridge).
May 23, 1970
A fire breaks out in the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait in north Wales contributing to its partial destruction and causing approximately £1,000,000 worth of fire damage.
October 30, 1973
The Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus for the first time.
January 5, 1975
The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, killing twelve people.
February 13, 1979
An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 1/2-mile-long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.
June 6, 1981
A passenger train travelling between Mansi and Saharsa, India, jumps the tracks at a bridge crossing the Bagmati river. The government places the official death toll at 268 plus another 300 missing; however, it is generally believed that the actual figure is closer to 1,000 killed.
June 24, 1981
The Humber Bridge is opened to traffic, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It would be the world's longest single-span suspension bridge for 17 years.
June 19, 1982
The body of God's Banker, Roberto Calvi is found hanging beneath Blackfriars Bridge in London.
June 28, 1983
The Mianus River Bridge collapses over the Mianus River in Connecticut, killing 3 drivers in their vehicles.
January 11, 1986
The Gateway Bridge, Brisbane in Queensland, Australia is officially opened.
July 31, 1988
32 people are killed and 1,674 injured when a bridge at the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal collapses in Butterworth, Malaysia.
November 9, 1993
Stari most, the "old bridge" in Bosnian Mostar built in 1566, collapses after several days of bombing.
October 21, 1994
In Seoul, 32 people are killed when the Seongsu Bridge collapses.
July 22, 1997
The second Blue Water Bridge opens between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario.
April 5, 1998
In Japan, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshū and costing about $3.8 billion USD, opens to traffic, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world.
March 4, 2001
Hintze Ribeiro disaster, a bridge collapses in northern Portugal, killing up to 70 people.
December 14, 2004
The Millau viaduct, the highest bridge in the world, near Millau, France is officially opened.
May 13, 2007
Construction of the Calafat-Vidin Bridge between Romania and Bulgaria begins.
|
|
|
|
